Fruitless Study, Growing Love
by Lilies of Avonlea
Summary: Modern AU Anne and Gilbert in Redmond College.


Endless Ramblings

This drabble isn't connected to any specific prompt for GGF Story Club but I thought it'd be cute to write about Anne and Gilbert in college (when they're presumably friends and no longer academic rivals in their old way).

Anne's phone buzzed against the wooden desktop.

_New message from Gilbert Blythe._

She set down her pen, and shuffled her History notes into a neat pile. The clock on the right corner of her desk read 12:57 am. Her roommate was still at the library studying.

Anne clicked on her phone and read the message: _In the common room. Quiz me on the French Revolution? I'll help you with communism._

Of course he was still awake. Anne collected her notes and highlighters, grabbing her phone and room key.

The campus was quiet but almost every light was still on- students still up, cramming for finals.

The common room was hidden in the deep recesses of the college's oldest building, and almost impossible to find even by daylight. Luckily, Anne had stumbled upon it in her second week of classes, and had been delighted to find comfortable leather couches and old, rickety coffee tables.

Anne climbed the stairs and pushed open the heavy oak door. The common room was empty but for one familiar, dark-haired boy in the corner. It was dark in the room but the light of his laptop screen illuminated his face, focused intently on his study.

Gilbert Blythe raised his head at the sound of the closing door and smiled in a way that made Anne question many things about her personal life and past choices.

"Anne Shirley," he said, the corners of his mouth still uplifted. "Of course you're still up at this hour." He nodded at the papers Anne held in her arms. "Nerd."

"Oh, hush," Anne said, walking over to the couch. "I could say the same about you."

She flopped down dramatically.

"I can't wait for these exams to be over," she sighed. "My brain cannot possibly absorb any more information on Robespierre."

"Excellent," Gilbert replied. "Because mine can. Test me?" he asked, holding out a stack of cue cards. He closed his laptop.

Anne sighed again, taking the cue cards.

"The Reign of Terror," she read.

"Began September 1793; the execution of approximately 25,000 people by the orders of Maximilien Robespierre on the Committee of Public Safety," Gilbert recited.

"Not bad," Anne said. "But you neglected to mention the method of execution."

"Guillotine," Gilbert said immediately. "I left it unsaid because I assumed you would already know." He smirked.

_An hour later_…

"Avocado," Anne said.

Gilbert was lying back on the couch, his notes over his face.

"I think they're green…." Gilbert mumbled. "Grow on trees… guacamole…"

Anne tried not to laugh, covering her mouth with the cue cards.

"Anne Shirley…" Gilbert said. "The productivity of our study session…" he took the notes off his face. "…is rapidly deteriorating." He sat up.

"You know what we need?" he asked, reaching for his laptop on the table in front of him.

"Sleep?" Anne suggested. "Unless you want to keep reviewing…. but we're not bound to accomplish much when it's already after 2 am."

"No, we can't keep reviewing at this hour," Gilbert said, opening his laptop. "This mission was doomed to begin with. Study anytime after midnight is hardly productive."

"Well…..," Anne started. "What do you suggest?"

He didn't reply immediately, scrolling through Netflix.

"Aha!" Gilbert said triumphantly. "Found what I was looking for."

"Which is….?" Anne asked. She tossed her deck of cue cards onto the table and moved over on the couch.

Gilbert turned his laptop to face her. Anne spotted a familiar-looking tricolour flag floating underwater, and suddenly she recognized the slowly swelling music as Gilbert turned up the volume on his laptop. She rolled her eyes.

"You know, Gilbert, watching Les Mis hardly counts as studying for European History. Even if it is _loosely_ based on the events of the French Revolution."

"Oh, hush," he said, pausing the movie. "We've both studied enough, we're prepared for this, and it's no use stressing out right before an exam."

Anne sighed.

"Fine," she said. She put the rest of her notes on the coffee table and slid closer to Gilbert, keeping a safe and respectable one-foot distance between her right leg and his left. She was suddenly conscious of how dark it was in the common room. She folded her legs up against her chest and rested her chin on her knee. Gilbert pressed play.

Somewhere around when Fantine started singing about her dreams, Anne began humming quietly under her breath. Gilbert tried very carefully not to look at her.

Javert was singing about stars and conscience when Anne unfolded her legs and rested her head against the couch cushions.

By the time they had reached "A Heart Full of Love", Anne had fallen asleep on Gilbert's shoulder. He sat completely still, watching the actors on his laptop screen but completely conscious of the long red braid which lay across his chest, rising and falling as he breathed slowly.

When Marius started singing about furniture, Anne mumbled something about guillotines and slid off Gilbert's shoulder into his lap. He watched her for a moment, the film forgotten, and then slowly moved his laptop to the coffee table. He gently lifted Anne's head, moved to the right, and folded his sweater into a cushion in place of his lap.


End file.
